ux-designer-skills

WCAG 2.1/2.2 guidelines, ARIA patterns, and inclusive design principles. Use when auditing accessibility, implementing ARIA, reviewing color contrast, or designing for screen readers, keyboard users, and cognitive accessibility.

Opinionated design critique framework grounded in business outcomes, named principles, and specific actionable feedback. Use when reviewing designs, running critique sessions, or giving feedback that actually improves the work.

Deceptive patterns (dark patterns), ethical design frameworks, persuasive vs. manipulative design, GDPR/consent UX. Use when reviewing designs for manipulation, designing consent flows, or evaluating ethical implications of design decisions.

Usability heuristics for catching real problems in interfaces, not generating busywork. Nielsen's 10 and Shneiderman's Golden Rules, reframed around business outcomes with practical severity scoring.

Design process philosophy and frameworks. When to use JTBD, Design Sprints, Double Diamond, IDEO. How to run outcome-driven design, effective critique, and recognize when process is theater. Use when planning design work, structuring discovery, or choosing the right level of rigor for the problem.

Design systems architecture - tokens, components, documentation, governance. Use when building or scaling a design system, defining component APIs, establishing token architecture, or creating contribution guidelines.

Figma to code with AI - MCP server workflow, vibe coding, Code Connect, file preparation, design tokens, and plugin ecosystem. Use when going from Figma designs to production code with Claude Code, Cursor, or other AI coding tools.

Figma best practices at scale - file organization, component architecture, design tokens/variables, dev handoff, branching, libraries, and performance. Use when advising on Figma workflow, structuring design systems in Figma, optimizing files, or preparing designs for developer handoff.

Information architecture that actually works. Navigation, taxonomy, hierarchy, search, and labeling, framed around the principle that if users can't find it, it doesn't exist.

Common interaction patterns and when to use them - modals, drawers, progressive disclosure, inline editing, navigation patterns, mobile gestures, and form design. Use when choosing between interaction approaches or designing component behavior.

Master the 30 Laws of UX from lawsofux.com. Apply cognitive psychology, perception, and behavioral science principles to interface design. Use when evaluating designs, making interaction decisions, justifying design choices, or teaching UX fundamentals.

Mobile-specific design guidelines - iOS Human Interface Guidelines, Material Design 3, gesture navigation, haptic feedback, adaptive layouts, thumb zones. Use when designing mobile apps or evaluating mobile-specific patterns.

Modern CSS capabilities designers should know - container queries, :has(), view transitions, scroll-driven animations, subgrid, fluid typography. Use when designing responsive layouts, specifying component behavior, or bridging design-to-development communication.

UI animation principles - Disney's 12 principles applied to interfaces, Material Design motion system, easing curves, duration guidelines, and accessibility (prefers-reduced-motion). Use when specifying animations, transitions, or micro-interactions.

Usability testing methodology - study design, task creation, moderation techniques, analysis, and reporting. Use when planning user tests, writing test scripts, analyzing results, or presenting findings.

UX measurement that connects design work to business outcomes. HEART, GSM, SUS, task success, and the metrics that actually drive design decisions. Cuts through vanity metrics to focus on what proves impact.